The Arizona Cardinals can clinch the NFC West title and, with some help, wrap up a first-round bye in the playoffs by knocking off the Eagles.
With back-to-back wins over New England and Buffalo, Philadelphia came within a point of sweeping the AFC East, unfortunately they aren’t in that division and are still battling for the NFC East crown.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Philadelphia Eagles +4
Arizona Cardinals -4
Over/Under 50
ODDS ANALYSIS
The line was wagered a half-point to Arizona -3.5. The Cards have been good on the road going 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS. Philly has two straight wins following a three-game skid that nearly dropped them from contention. The Eagles are 3-3 SU and ATS at the Linc this season.
KEY INJURIES
David Johnson – Suffered a thigh bruise against the Vikings and departed for several series. He did return and the extra few days rest should be enough to have him ready for the Eagles. He better be because depth is an issue at running back with Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson expected to miss another week. Kerwynn Williams took some snaps in David Johnson’s spot last week.
Jordan Matthews – Played through a significant back injury last week but the pain worsened, forcing him to miss some practice time earlier in the week. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said his starting receiver was in a lot of pain. Josh Huff is a likely candidate to take more reps.
KEY MISMATCH
All Michael Floyd does is have 100-yard games. And it’s exactly what the Cardinals need to make a run into late January. The Cardinals fourth-year receiver had his fourth triple-digit receiving effort in his last five games in Thursday’s win over Minnesota to help clinch a playoff berth for the second straight year. As Floyd continues his tear, he’s given a glimpse into how versatile the Cardinals offense has become. But only when he’s healthy. When Floyd is at full strength, quarterback Carson Palmer has several options from which to choose. Does he go to future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald? Or the speedy John Brown? Or to Floyd, the prototypical, big-bodied receiver? Against the Vikings, Floyd had 102 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown catch that helped Palmer set the franchise record with 31 touchdown passes this season. The Cards have their top three receivers at full strength and the passing game hasn’t looked better.
KEY STAT
31.2 – Arizona’s second-ranked scoring offense. The Cardinals’ offense faces the 21st-ranked Eagles defense, which allows 24.8 points per game.
BETTING ANGLE
The Eagles have a difficult matchup in the Cardinals, the only team ranked in the top four on both offense and defense. Philly would like to build on back-to-back victories and prove they can compete with the class of the NFC. But in the grand scheme of things, the game against Arizona doesn’t really matter for the Eagles, at least not in terms of reaching the postseason. They don’t need to win to get in. Philly has a very simple path to the playoffs. Beat Washington next week, then beat the Giants in the finale, and the Eagles are in automatically as the NFC East division winner. Going out and beating the Cardinals still has its benefits, even if doesn’t mean much in terms of the playoff race.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Quarterback Sam Bradford returns to the lineup and the Eagles rattle of wins over the Patriots and Bills. Maybe all those haters were wrong about the former OU star. But the recent surge isn’t all due to Bradford. The Eagles special teams and defense has come up big assisting in those victories. Now the Eagles have control of the division even though they’re tied. They finish up with games against Washington and at the Giants and knocking off their division foes will get them a division title, regardless of the outcome of this game. And that’s good news for the Eagles because the Cardinals might be the best all-around team in the NFC. They’ve been good on the road going 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS, and with a division title and first-round bye at stake, don’t expect them to pass up on the opportunity.
Arizona 31, Philadelphia 23
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